The Downside of Being a Guardian
by Miyuki Satomi
Summary: just when jack starts to think being a guardian is always fun and happy, he meets someone who makes him think again. contains death of random character.


One of the things about being a guardian is that you can feel the emotions of the children around you. Jack could feel it now, more than ever before as he ice surfed above a small mountain town. It was after Easter, but it was the perfect place to wreak some frozen havoc, seeing as it was cold up here pretty much all the time. He laughed to himself as the little kiddies below started playing with his freshly made snow, making angels with it, starting fights with it. He absolutely had to join in. But as the sun began to fall, and the temperature got colder, all the kids went inside and got ready for bed, perhaps listening to a story beside the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream.

And so Jack, bored, began to make his way into the forest; perhaps he could play with some nocturnal animals that could somehow see him.

But as he went deeper into the darkened woods, all the joy began to slowly fade away and was for some reason replaced with sadness, fear, and hostility. Jack stopped, contemplating what was going on with his feelings; one second the happiest guy on earth, the next, fighting depression. He looked at the ground, trying to calm down, though his emotions made his powers course through his tightly gripped staff even more than usual; when he noticed small impressions in the still falling snow. Foot prints made by a human. Curiosity sparked, and Jack Frost followed the trail. He was so intrigued; he almost didn't notice the icky sensations were growing stronger with every step.

Jack approached a fallen tree. The footsteps led right up and over it, then stopped. He managed a smirk as he hopped the dead log, completing the hide and seek game. And he turned around and he saw a sight that would haunt him for all eternity. There, using the rotting timber as shelter from the freezing winds was a little girl, perhaps 8 or 9, wearing nothing but PJ's and a housecoat.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack crouched down and lightly tugged at her fuzzy pink robe. It was no use, he thought. She probably couldn't see or hear him anyways. Besides, of course she wasn't okay. She probably couldn't respond, she was so cold. But-

"Hmmmmm?" She looked up from her ball formation only so that their eyes met. And as they did, Jack somehow knew everything. From how the girl was hated by everyone she knew, and if they weren't ignoring her they were beating her; to how desperately she wished things could be different. Jack gasped as he saw her face was covered in bruises, and blood trickled from her forehead onto her knees. Her skin was a sick grey-blue colour, confirming the fact that she was on the brink of death. The emotions that had led Jack to this spot overflowed, all the childs' pain pouring into his heart. He could wish as much as he wanted, but this girl was going to die very soon from both blood loss and the cold that he had brought onto this area. The same cold that he couldn't stop.

"Do you want me to end it?" he said, barely more than a whisper. At this point, the girl began to get up. On her unsteady legs, she took a step forward, before collapsing into his arms, where she instantly began shivering. "I'm sorry, all I can do is keep you cold." Jack cradled her like a baby and noticed how much she looked like his sister. "I can stop it all, forever. Do you want me too?"

The girl simply looked at him and nodded. He smiled gently in return.

He placed his hand on her chest and closed his piercing blue eyes. Slowly, frost began to make beautiful swirls on her body, painlessly freezing her to death. Jack stared at her as the last light in her eyes went out, and her tiny hands that gripped his hoodie fell lifelessly beside her core. Exactly 5 minutes passed before her eyes glassed over. Exactly 6 minutes passed before Jack laid her in the still descending snow, tears falling as he closed her eyes to give her some dignity. Exactly 7 minutes passed before he finally sauntered away, leaving her frozen corpse in a special tomb of ice. Exactly 7 days passed before he stopped mourning for her.

* * *

Miyuki: It was such a happy movie, I had to do something sad.


End file.
